Coffee Board releases new variety

The Coffee Board plans to include the new variety (Chandragiri) developed by the Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI), Chikmagalur, in the plantation rejuvenation scheme to be taken up under the 11th Five Year Plan.

The new variety has been named 'Chandragiri'. It was Saint Baba Budan who introduced coffee to India and planted it on the Chandragiri range of hills in the Western Ghats in the early 17th century.

Speaking after launching the new plant variety, G V Krishna Rau, Chairman, Coffee Board, said, "We are embarking on a major plantation rejuvenation scheme in the 11th Plan and the institute was able to come out with a new plant variety."

"Initially, for the next 2 years to 3 years, Coffee Board will look at producing seeds to take up massive plantation rejuvenation scheme to cover 70,000 hectares. For crop year 2007-08, the board is planning to supply seeds for planting in about 500 hectares and in Five Year Plan will be able to supply seeds to cover 15,000 hectares per annum," he added.

The CCRI has released a new variety after a gap of 21 years. The source plants for the new variety were initially obtained from Portugal in 1975 and after extensive research on their attributes, performance in Indian conditions a mother plant resistant to known races of leaf rust were developed.

A salient feature of the variety is its large beans. Over 80 per cent of the produce of the variety is of A-grade.

Of this, two-thirds belong to the Mysore Nugget Extra Bold and AA grades. Density of the beans is superior. Ovular fertility is over 85 per cent indicting a high fertility status leading to good productivity. By adopting regular cultivation this can yield 1,150 kg to 1,800 kg clean coffee per hectare.

"The new variety is being released after field evaluations across 500 estates and has been reviewed by Plant Variety Release Committee consisting of eminent scientists and recommended for its release for commercial exploitation," said Rau.

"The enhancement of productivity is crucial and necessary to ensure sustainability of the coffee plantations. Every coffee producing country recognises this and is focusing on the aspect to remain competitive in the global coffee market. Now coffee planters in India should recognise the need to phase out the old and senile coffee trees with new plants," he added.

According to Jayarama, director of research, Coffee Board, Chandragiri is a hybrid of Villa Sarchi, a semi-dwarf mutant of Bourbon Coffee, and Hibrido de Timor, a spontaneous hybrid of Robusta and Arabica resistant to coffee leaf rust.

The plants of Chandragiri are comparatively larger in size than other semi-dwarf plants like Cauvery, Caturra or San Ramon, and possess boarder leaves with light green leaves

"The variety was developed by CCRI from the original stock created at Centro Investigacao das Ferrugens do Cafeeiros (CIFC) Portugal. The original seed material was received at CCRI in 1975 and these plants were known as Sarchimor," he added.